Not really sure what happened. More amused than anything.
Two days ago, I had two browser windows, steam, and two other applications open across the two monitors on my machine.
While interacting with one browser, everything else vanished. Steam wouldn’t respond via the panel, but I could launch games in the recent list. Alt-tab only had the browser, nothing else.
Nothing that vanished was on other workspaces. (I thought I’d somehow managed to switch the active browser to a new workspace, but maybe not?)
Today, two reboots later (I shut my computer down at night) about an hour after I booted up, the browser that disappeared came back. Same pages and even paused where the video had been at disappearance, which hey great, but still weird.
My computer is a Bermuda triangle.
Poltergeist in the machine?
Most likely explanation.
I’m OK with this.
My computer is a Bermuda triangle
I’m not familiar with that manufacturer and model 😄
It’s a self build. ;)
😄
Not surprised. Most who got that manufacturer will never be able to report online.
Do you use the “Restore Previous Session” feature of your web browser between reboots? Do you use keyboard controls to open new windows like Ctrl+N?
If yes to both, chances are that your mystery window had remained part of that continued session, and was reactivated with a Ctrl+Shift+N or equivalent. Shift is right next to Ctrl so if you fat-fingered a Shift at the same time that could explain the apparent necromancy.
As to where it went originally, you could have moved it to a different virtual desktop, moved it off-screen accidentally or, heck, even misclicked or miskeyed to have it actually close. A reboot would then have closed it for certain, except for the fact that it was still lurking in your session.
Another thing that can cause windows to move around is when a HDMI or DisplayPort monitor disconnects. Unlike with older connection types, those disconnecting is detectable and modern window managers try to “save” windows by throwing them on any remaining active monitors. If you have both types of monitor connection, or had at some point in the past, it could be that your mysterious window was lurking on a screen you couldn’t see but the system still thought exists, at least until it was closed for certain.
Admittedly unlikely, but you could rule that out by checking the system monitor arrangements in the settings.
Good ideas to investigate. Thanks for the suggestions. :)
At time of disappear, the keyboard was turned off (Bluetooth, I was watching videos) Only mouse was in use, and the focus was on a non streaming browser. (Disappeared streaming browser was on monitor two, steam and other items that disappeared were on primary monitor) I’ve since wondered if I somehow hit just the right combo of buttons on the mouse to cause it, but no luck reproducing.
I don’t have restore previous sessions turned on. The haunted browser came back after a full day of normal use and two reboots. Having it reappear at the point in the video I’d been watching (and have since finished) really made me double take.
I use display port for both monitors, and have since installing this OS. Cables have not been reseated since then. I did have trouble getting both working correctly, (Nvidia card) so will double check that I don’t have a ghostly monitor installed to the system.
what DE/WM are you using? is it wayland based? I know sometimes if xwayland messes up it’ll result in stuff like steam, discord, games, etc just showing a blank screen/see through to the desktop.
Mint (Cinnamon) - Mutter (Muffin)
Haven’t gotten too far into customizing/switching things up yet, still learning.
See through items would be almost as amusing as vanishing items. :D
Do you have a taskbar? Did they disappear from there too?
I run KDE plasma desktop on my laptop, and my home and work monitors have different geometries.
On display attach/detach, the desktop moves windows around rather intelligently but sometimes the geometry messes up and the window may end up atbsome ridiculous coordinates outside display areas.
On a desktop computer with multi monitors, the displays are loaded one after another at boot or resume from display-off mode, so the same geometric bug can still trigger.
The missing programs were not on the taskbar, they just poofed away all at once as if they’d been closed. (Nothing on taskbar for other workspaces) Certainly didn’t expect one to reappear a few days later. >.<
If it’s some esoteric geometry bug, it’s a darn tricky one.
Wow. I hear the X-Files theme.
If you use Firecat, they do that from time to time. You might want to put a location chip on them to know where they go. Careful they may bring some dead Firemice windows back on your screen.
That’s just your past coming back to haunt you.
Literally. :D
